The theme for this year's Indy Shorts International Film Festival in Indianapolis is "The Greatest Shorts on Earth" and, indeed, it would be hard to deny that this relatively young offshoot from the acclaimed Heartland International Film Festival has quickly established itself as a home for a good majority of the most recognized and award-winning short films made today. 

It is rather remarkable to realize that the 10-minute animated short film A Prayer for My Mother: The Eva Brettler Story is screening at the 2022 Indy Shorts in the High School Film Competition, an annual competition within the festival that started in Heartland Film Fest and then found its permanent home in Indy Shorts. It's one of my favorite programs within the festival as it always features a tapestry of extraordinarily talented up-and-comers. A Prayer for My Mother is such a confident, beautifully constructed short film that it speaks highly of the Righteous Conversations Project from which it was born. The film chronicles the extraordinary saga of Eva Brettler, a Holocaust survivor who faced brutality and profound loss during the Holocaust. From the loss of her parents to a forced death march across Europe, young Eva survived Ravensbruck and Bergen-Belsen Concentration Camps, the destruction of her family, and the near destruction of European Jewry to emerge with her tender heart and faith intact. For this, Brettler credits the goodness and decency of helpers and caretakers she encountered along the way.

Accompanied by Brettler's own narration of her story, A Prayer for My Mother is constructed by over a dozen co-directors into a deeply meaningful, unforgettable short film that carries forth conversations we must be willing to continue to have. In a world where Holocaust denial has continued to grow, telling story's such as Eva's is absolutely vital and A Prayer for My Mother tells it in a way that is immersive, emotionally honest, and thought-provoking. 

Winner of the American Pavilion Emerging Filmmaker High School Showcase, A Prayer for My Mother: The Eva Brettler Story now screens at Indy's own Indy Shorts in an ideal showcase for this short film that reinforces the power of film to make a difference in the world and to be a truly moving experience. Don't wait to get a chance to see A Prayer for My Mother, create the chance for yourself by checking out the film during its run here in my own hometown of Indianapolis. This year's high school film competition is top-notch and A Prayer for My Mother is one of its most memorable participating films.

Written by Richard Propes
The Independent Critic